


Black Blooded Carrion

by whatsacleverusername



Category: Original Work
Genre: Character Death, Character(s) of Color, Crimes & Criminals, Disturbing Themes, Fantastic Racism, Female Protagonist, Gangs, Gen, Inspired by Music, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, Murder, Mystery, Organized Crime, Paranormal, Past Tense, Police, Protagonist of Color, Superstition, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 04:43:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18423054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatsacleverusername/pseuds/whatsacleverusername
Summary: There comes a time in everyone's life when they wonder what is written in their family history. For police detective Maria Evancella this has been a constant question, fueled by her father's false arrest and subsequent execution while serving in the same police force. With rising activity from the sinister Black Bloods gang, a citywide plague that has lasted for centuries, Maria sees an opportunity to clear her father's name. Things are not as they seem as she delves further into the history of the gang and their current leader, and the young detective soon finds herself caught between the two sides of the law, forced to walk the fine line for answers.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a good year and half ago, so it's a little skewed from how I write now. Though it has been updated and polished.

There were always whispers floating around the cursed city about them. The Black Bloods. The convicts, murderers, thieves, filth, and street urchins. They’re everywhere, the whispers say. They're jinxed, all of them, and the city will be, too, as long as they remain there. They haunt each and every nook and cranny of the old city, gnawing at the very foundation holding everything up. Their leader is the worst part of them, long overdue on his mysterious death sentence. Until him, each leader had died on the fifth anniversary of their leadership, and he’s said to be seven years late. To make matters worse, it’s said the man is of supernatural origin. Rumors claim he’s an evil spirit, or that he’s the son of a fallen angel, others that he’s the fallen angel himself, maybe even Death. No one even knew his name, only by the moniker “Carrion.” All these superstitious claims did nothing but further inspire Detective Maria Evancella, a heavy skeptic and shrewd individual. Surely there’s some logical reason for this abhorrent individual. She was sure she’d be able to catch this Carrion and bring the entire gang down, she’d been training her whole career and then some for this. She’d find their base, trap them all like rats, and she’ll be a hero. Most importantly, she’ll be able to make the city realize all that her father had done for it.

Interrupted from her daydreaming, Maria looked up from her desk as an announcement over the loudspeakers caught her attention; “all units report for briefing. Repeat, all units.”

Getting up from her desk, Maria hurriedly grabbed her badge and rushed out of her small office to join the crowd of officers flocking to the comedically cramped conference room. Many of the officers had to sit on the wooden floor like schoolchildren as only so many tables could fit in the space. The podium at which the commissioner would speak hardly even stood out amongst the sea of heads all turned towards it. Still, they always made it work.

Testing the mic with two sharp taps in quick succession, the gritty Commissioner Fawkes began, “I’m sure you’ve already jumped to the same conclusion as to why you’re all here. They’ve made another attack on a large caravan.” Raising his hands to quiet the uproar just as fast as it had begun, Fawkes continued, “I know, I know. But while almost everything was raided, there were only seven casualties, three of which were Black Bloods. Now, we’ve been told the caravan managed to capture one of the little monsters, and has urged us to collect their prisoner for interrogation. We’ll be sending out a unit to fulfill this request. The officers are as follows; Lieutenant Maws, Officer Dunnigan, Detective Evancella, Officer Blicksy…”

Maria found herself unable to listen any further, stunned that she’d actually heard her name. There’s no chance she’d misheard him given no one in the entire city had even a slightly similar surname, yet she still couldn’t believe Fawkes had called her. Despite being the detective, Maria was never respected much by her fellow officers, seeing her only as a byproduct of her father’s dealings with the underground. Accepting bribes, framing innocents, turning a blind eye, all things he was accused of and subsequently put to death for. Maria always knew these were false accusations, but couldn’t change anything about it. Lieutenant Maws was her only co-worker that treated her with any hint of respect, having been close to her father and taking care of her and her mother before she passed away. As such, he was often tasked with monitoring the fiercely ambitious Maria. But now she’d been tasked with dealing directly with some of the nastiest creatures to drag themselves out of the underground, albeit still under Maws’ watchful eye. Just as soon as the briefing was over, Maria rushed back to her office to get ready as soon as possible. They’d be leaving the next afternoon, but it couldn’t hurt to get prepared. 

 

Approaching their destination just outside the city limits, the first thing the unit noticed was the unnatural quiet. For a large caravan, there was a considerable lack of noise as two of the darkly colored cars rolled to a stop outside the grounds. Getting out of the car, Maria surveyed the area as she waited for the other officers to join her. Several of the large boxlike wagons used by the caravan people are still burning, the Black Blood’s mysterious green flames dancing over the ruined cargo despite the light drizzle. Accompanied by the lieutenant and the three officers, Maria approached the group of caravan people sitting under a canopy of trees. A large man exited the group, greeting the officers and leading them to a partially intact caravan wagon they’d used to hold the gangster. Maria entered the wagon with Lieutenant Maws behind her, leaning against the wall while Maria sat on a bench across from the chained gangster.

Folding her arms across the table, Maria stared at the gang member for a moment before dryly asking, “so, how you liking your little vacation so far?”

“I have nothing to say to you,” the unsavory man spat out in an almost rehearsed tone of disgust.

“Oh, c’mon,” Maria said, “not saying anything will just makes this whole thing that much more annoying. So why don’t you just make this easier on everyone and tell me what you and your boys are planning on doing with all these stolen supplies?”

“I have no obligations to you or your lawmen,” he replied hatefully. “I won’t have to deal with you long.”

“Oh, really?” Maria asked sarcastically. “Where you goin’? ‘Cause it looks to me like you’re a little preoccupied at the moment.”

“He’ll be here soon,” the man said with such conviction that Maria almost felt bad for him, believing him to be deranged.

“Listen, bub, no one’s coming to get y-” She was cut off by the sound of gunfire and shouting, the wagon rocking sharply to the side.

Pushing herself up from where she had been slammed against the wooden wall, Maria followed close behind Maws as he rushed out of the wagon. Men with guns were running towards the encampment, firing at the people and wagons alike. Just as the two officers burst out of the wagon, one of their own is shot just 5 feet in front of them and falls to the ground.

“Get back to the squad car, Evancella, and call for backup,” Maws ordered, forcefully directing Maria towards the cars with a rough push.

Stubbornly refusing, Maria drew her pistol and pushed against Maws, stating, “I’m part of this operation, too, y’know!”

“To interrogate the prisoner, that’s it,” Maws reminded. “Now go get us some back up, Detective. That’s an order.”

“You’re not-” Maria attempted to argue.

“Maria!” Maws shouted, startling the detective.

With a few choice words, Maria turned to do as she was told, running towards the squad cars. However, she was abruptly stopped when something solid and heavy slammed into her head, knocking her to the ground. Reacting quickly, she fought whatever it was off her and brandished her weapon. Her assailant was nowhere to be found, but she was quickly forced to the ground again. A muscular arm squeezed around her neck as her pistol was taken away from her. Soon, the world was spinning and fading to black. She heard Maws shout her name and a few bullets fly over her head as she slipped into unconsciousness.


	2. II

Startled awake suddenly, Maria squeezed her eyes closed again when met with a bright light shining directly above her. She tried to cover her eyes with her hands, but found she was tied securely to a chair of some sort. Carefully opening her eyes, she tried to make them adjust to see, but she couldn’t make anything out past the small circle of light. Until a man in black pants and a skull painted on his bare chest stepped into the light, wielding a metal club in his hands. Following the large man, two smaller men emerged from the darkness on either side of him. Walking dangerously close to Maria, the large man raised the club above his head as the two other men held her in place. Just as it seemed the club would collide with her skull, a harsh abrupt voice made the weapon halt above her head. At first, she believed in her delirium that it was Maws, there to bail her out of another nasty situation. As the owner of the voice marched up to the man of nearly twice his size, barking orders in an unfamiliar language, any hope for rescue Maria had was shot down by the hateful syllables just seconds after they took flight. The strange man had apparently threatened the large man considerably, as he backed away at the dark individual’s words. Then, the dark man turned to Maria with a scrutinizing look, almost as a cat would look at a mouse, before ordering the two remaining men in that same unknown language. Immediately, Maria was lifted, still tied to the chair, and taken out of the ring of light and up a flight of stairs, the fearsome man following close behind. He directed them to a large set of stone doors, leading them inside and instructing them to set Maria down in front of a stone table. Casting another glance at Maria, the man ushered the other two back out of the doors before sitting across from her.

Remaining silent for what seemed like hours, he finally spoke, bluntly asking, “you’re the lieutenant's kid, right?”

“No, why’s it matter?” Maria blurted out automatically, mentally scolding herself for telling this freak anything.

Scoffing, the man asked, “he’s the one that raised you, isn’t he?”

“Why’s it matter?” Maria repeated.

“Yes or no?” the man asked sternly, his sharp gray eyes narrowing.

“Uh… Yeah,” Maria conceded.

“Then you’re his kid,” he stated flatly. “Then they got the _right_ kid this time. Of course, we both know who your real dad is, don’t we? Rest his soul.”

“Excuse me?” Maria asked indignantly. “You been stalking me or something, freak?”

“‘Carrion,’ if you don’t mind,” he corrected passively.

Maria opened her mouth to say something, but only a small squeak of shock came out. The simple nonchalant tone with which he revealed his identity was nothing short of disturbing, but nothing compared to the realization that she was tied up fully at the mercy of an infamous thief, murderer, and terrorist. Not to mention he looks almost nothing like how people described him. He was tall and lean, with long black hair framing the sides of his face. A long earing with what looked like black feathers on a chain hung from his right ear. He looked to be at least 40, his pale skin worn and stretched tight over his grim face almost like a gaunt mask. His hooked nose was crooked like it’d been broken one too many times. His cheeks were hollow, making the lines and pock marks that much more noticable. He looked almost nothing like any of the other Black Bloods, not only because of the obvious racial difference, but in his cold and passive tone as well. Maria’s breath caught in her chest as she tried to force herself to speak, which only seemed to further Carrion’s displeased expression.

“What do you want with me?” Maria managed to choke out.

“Call it a little insurance,” Carrion said. “As long as we have you, your kind won’t raise a finger against my boys. ‘Cause if they do, they won’t like what happens.”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Maria ventured, “what’re you trying to do?”

“I’ve been in this business for 24 years, kid,” Carrion said, putting a stop to any plans Maria had before they’d even begun.

Giving her a sideways attempt of a smirk, Carrion got up from his stone seat, turning for the doors and blowing out the lantern resting on a shelf nearby. Before they could close fully, she heard him speak again in that strange language as the light rapidly fled from the room, plunging Maria into isolated darkness.

 

Over the next seven weeks, Maria was kept in that cold stone room, eventually allowed out of her restraints once a guard schedule was solidified. While it wasn’t quite a cell, it wasn’t exactly comfortable either. She was fed three times a day as usual, granted with small portions. The cost of such a large faction, Carrion explained when she voiced her complaints during one of his regular visits. Maria couldn’t help but think just how extensive the Black Bloods’ numbers were at that comment, and none of her estimations did much to ease her nerves. She learned more than she ever wanted to about the activities of the group, overhearing bits and pieces of conversations about the slaughtering of a father and his three children, the abduction of a young girl, the robbery of an elderly veteran, and many worse things. Never once did Carrion show any remorse or even acknowledge what his “boys” had done. He never made any effort to sway Maria’s opinions, at most giving her a passing nod as he listens without really paying her any attention. The only time he ever really listened was when he’d backed her into a corner, forcing her to tell him what he wants. It was always the same things; how many ammunition shipments does the city get each month, what are the names of the highest ranked officers and their families, where are the least protected areas of the city, how trained are the officers with things like large fires and riots. Always questions with unbearably sinister implications. Evidently as time went on, Carrion forgot he’d kidnapped the force’s detective, as he revealed more and more about the Black Bloods. Or maybe he did it all on purpose. Maria wasn’t sure. What she was certain of, however, was that she needed to get out and tell Maws and Fawkes what she learned. Besides the obvious factors, they were planning something big. Something devastating to the city, something to cause a citywide panic, but exactly what wasn’t clear. She had to devise a plan as soon as possible for fear she’d wind up being too late. He’d shown some kind of interest in her, she could use that against him. She’ll whittle him down until he believed he could trust her. It would take time, but she could make it work. She always made it work.

Walking into the room with food on a tray, her last rations for the day, Carrion set them on the stone table and sat on the bench without a word.

Watching him intently, Maria observed, “you’re real quiet when you’re in here.”

Somewhat surprised by the comment, Carrion looked at her and said, “it’s loud everywhere else. Be a shame to break the silence.”

“It must be hard, heading something big like this,” she said with a hint of curiosity.

“Not exactly the kind of job you can take a vacation from,” he agreed, sounding somewhat tired. “Too many loose ends to check up on.”

“Maybe you should see if you can find someone you can trust to take over for a while,” Maria thought aloud.

Shaking his head, Carrion stated, “not a chance. They’re all like mongrels, waiting for the chance to get up on top. No matter how good their leader’s been to them.”

“They really are like barbarians,” she mumbled, more to herself.

Nodding in agreement, Carrion frowned for a moment before stating, “you want to ask me something.”

It definitely wasn’t a question, and the confidence in his low rough voice sent a shiver up Maria’s spine as she confirmed with a nod.

“Go ahead, if you really have to,” Carrion permitted.

“Well,” she began with a deep breath, “I’ve been here for, uh…”

“Seven weeks, three days,” he informed.

“Right,” she said. “I was thinking, about our talking. You- As a person, I mean- You already know a lot about me, but I don’t know too much about you yourself, and I was wondering-”

“I know what you’re trying to do,” Carrion interrupted.

Maria couldn’t keep her voice from breaking as she asked, “you… You do?”

Rather than answering her question, he looked at her for a long tense moment before saying, “you’ll leave tonight.”

“Wh-What?” she asked blankly.

“I’ll start with the preparations,” he said, still not answering her questions.

As Carrion left once again, Maria couldn’t keep a small smile from spreading across her face. She knew she’d be able to talk him into letting her go, it was only a matter of playing the innocent card and wooing him just a little. Still, she expected there to be more effort needed, not that she was complaining. However, a small hint of suspicion seeped into her mind. What if this was all a ruse to get her to tell him more? She’d have to stay on guard with this creep, she told herself.

 

She soon found her suspicions to be unnecessary as, true to his word, Carrion and three other men escorted Maria to what must have been a predetermined location. While she was blindfolded and deafened, no physical harm came to her, her senses being restored once they were far enough away from wherever the Black Bloods were stationed. Carrion holding one of Maria’s bound wrists, two of the three men in front of them, the other behind them, they all walked into the light of the full moon. A flock of ebony crows watched on from the branches above them.

“Where is she?” Maria heard a familiar high strung voice ask.

“Show us the guns first,” one of the men in front demanded.

“Are you sure about this, sir?” a voice asked.

“We’re already here, aren’t we?” the first countered, followed by the click of something opening.

Carrion nudging one of the front men out of the way and walking past them with Maria in tow, he looked at the gun. An explosive launcher, with three rounds of ammo, were nestled in the black foam of a metal case. Nodding in affirmation, Carrion motioned for the man in the back, letting go of Maria’s wrist without a single glance her way. As Carrion and the men took the case and six others from the officers, Maria surrendered to a rough embrace from Maws, wrapping his arms around her like she was still a little girl. As annoyed by the babying action as she was, Maria’s complaint was silenced in her throat as she looked at the older man. His gray streaked brown hair disheveled and dark bags under his eyes, it was obvious he hadn’t taken Maria’s abduction very well.

“Are you alright?” he asked, grasping her shoulders tightly and staring at her face intently. “What did they do to you? Hilke, hand me your knife! So help me God, if they hurt you in anyway-”

“Calm down, Jay,” she said, “I’m fine. I’m alright.”

Carefully cutting the rope binding Maria’s wrist, Maws disregarded the taboo use of his first name, mumbling, “alright, if- If you’re sure, I mean.”

“Fawkes ain’t gonna be thrilled about this…” an officer said absentmindedly as the four Black Bloods drove off with the weapons in a stolen squad car.

“Leave Fawkes to me,” Maws said, handing the officer his knife back. “This was my deal, none of you chose to go with me. Just let me get Evancella home, I’ll talk to the Commissioner.”

Following orders, the officers reluctantly returned to their respective cars, Maws taking Maria in his. They drove in silence, the only sounds being the working motor and the occasional radio transmission, the tension soon becoming palpable.

Finally breaking the silence, Maria asked, “so, you really put your head on the block just for me?”

“I made a promise, kid,” Maws stated flatly. “I don’t give a damn what Fawkes wants, I’m not about to let Murray down like that.”

Narrowing her eyes at the aging man, Maria commented, “y’know, you’re one of the most confusing people I’ve ever met. One minute you’re swearing up and down about how much hell that old bastard got you both into, the next you’re praising him like a saint.”

“Don’t you talk about your dad like that, Evancella,” Maws said harshly. “He was a confusing man, but one of the best I ever met. And just because you wear a badge don’t mean you can cuss like a sailor.”

Huffing in an over the top manner, Maria crossed her arms and frowned, earning her a small snort and a shake of the head from Maws.

After another passing moment of silence, Maws said, “you know, Murray would’ve done a lot worse than I did.”

“Oh yeah?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah,” Maws confirmed, a small smirk hiding behind the bushy gray mustache on his lip. “At least I had the common sense to get backup before doing something stupid. That crazy fool would’ve drove across the whole city ‘til he found you and try gunning down all those roaches on his own. I’d bet my life he’d still make it out alive, though.”

“And you’re doing it again,” Maria declared. “Seriously, it’s like there’s some switch in your head.”

Maws gave a short breathy laugh at her comment, mumbling, “you’re just as bad as he was.”

Chuckling slightly, Maria smiled at Maws until a fearsome thought soured her expression. “What do you think Fawkes is gonna do about this?” she asked tentatively.

Sighing, Maws glances at her and said, “I dunno, kid. But whatever happens, I’ll get through it just like I do everything else. And it’s not like Fawkes is ridiculous.”

“I guess…” she mumbled.

“Chin up, doll,” he added with a comforting smile. “Worst comes to worst, I get a little vacation.”

By the time they arrived at Maws’ small apartment, it was already well into the dead of night, the old floorboards creaking at what seems like twice the normal volume. Each going to their separate corners of the space, Maria found it easy to fall asleep in a familiar space, but Maws remained awake for the rest of the night. Too many thoughts were running through his head to still himself enough to sleep. A pot and a half of coffee would have to do instead.


	3. III

The next day was exceedingly hectic. Maria was being kept at the police department for her safety under orders from Commissioner Fawkes, Maws trying to help deter the onslaught of questions to the best of his ability until being called to a private meeting with Fawkes. While she fully expected the questions, obvious things relating to the group’s present and future activities, the sheer amount of questions was overwhelming. She managed to get through the day with some hassle, having to answer the same questions over and over again until she was finally allowed to go home again. Her relief was shattered when Maws got into the driver's seat without a word, noticing his badge was nowhere to be seen. The air around him felt heavier than usual as he slammed the car into gear and drove off, not once even acknowledging Maria’s presence which was very unlike him. Even on the worst of days, he'd have some dry sarcastic remark to make about someone somewhere doing something wrong, but today he was completely silent. Maria’s heart sunk at the sight, fearing the worst. 

“Everything okay, Maws?” she asked hesitantly.

“Peachy,” Maws answered bitterly.

“Sure don't sound like it,” she objected.

Taking a deep breath, Maws stopped the car to look at Maria, firmly stating, “it’s nothing you should be worrying about, kid. It's fine.”

“What’d Fawkes say?” she persisted.

“Nothing,” he said. “Just gonna be taking a little vacation. He asked me to look after you for a bit, make sure you don't get into more-”

“He _fired_ you?!” she shouted, staring at Maws in disbelief. “Why, that stuck up-”

“Calm down, kid,” Maws ordered. “He didn't say nothing about firing me, just taking a leave of absence.”

“Yeah, a permanent one,” she retorted, rolling her eyes and looking out the window.

“Look, kid,” Maws said. “If I am fired, oh well. The important thing is he didn’t send me to the stone motel, which would’ve been completely within reason. I’ve already overstayed my welcome and stepped over the boundaries too many times. I expected much worse to be honest. Now quit your moping, I’m not going anywhere.”

Taken aback by the lieutenant’s words, Maria blinked at him in surprise, mouth agape. She attempted to find something to say, but only managed to mumble a few incoherent words before directing her attention to the concrete scenery speeding past outside the window.

 

Later that night, Maria found it impossible to fall asleep. With an exasperated sigh, she got up some time during the middle of the night, opening her window to climb out and sit on the fire escape as she did when she needed to think. This time, however, as she sat in thoughtful silence, she was joined by an unforeseen guest. A calloused hand covering her mouth and muting her shout of surprise, her head turned to meet the darkly intense eyes of none other than Carrion. He placed a finger against his lips, a thin silver band glinting in the light of the streetlamps, asking her to refrain from screaming. With a hesitant nod from Maria, he removed his hand to cross with the other in his lap. An almost regal looking raven chirped as he relaxed, hopping onto his shoulders as if trained.

“What are _you_ doing here?” Maria whispered harshly.

“I heard what happened with the lieutenant,” Carrion answered flatly. “It’s a shame. He’s a good man, did what he thought was right. The world needs more people like him in power.”

“Are you stalking me, bud?” Maria asked indignantly.

Shaking his head, he stated, “call it keeping the peace. The boys don’t like my decision to let you go.”

“So you’ve come to blackmail me?” she accused, raising her voice. “Spy on me and make sure I don’t do nothing you don’t like?”

Motioning for her to quiet down, Carrion corrected, “I came here to ask you something. I ain’t gonna force you to do nothing. Just a favor, if you will.” As Maria stayed quiet, he continued, “all I ask is you don’t say too much about us. I know they won’t leave you alone ‘till they hear what they want, but it’d be great if you gave them as little as possible. Make something up if you gotta, I don’t care. I know it’s a fine line I’m asking you to walk, so I ain’t gonna force you. All I’m asking for is a little favor in return.”

Staying quiet for a moment, Maria looked at their legs hanging off the edge of the old iron fire escape. Is it really worth that kind of risk? She’d be gambling something she’d worked her whole life for. It’s a dangerous thing to do, but…

“Fine,” she said bitterly. “What do I gotta say?”

“I’ll leave that up to you,” he said in return. Standing up and putting one foot on the railing, he added, “hey, just remember you’re friends of the family. We’ll make sure nothing happens to the lieutenant. Or you.”

With one fluid motion, Carrion leaped over the side of the railing, the raven cawing and flying away, leaving Maria to ponder his words. Whether or not his last statement was meant to be comforting, it left a bad taste in her mouth and a sinking feeling in her stomach. Climbing back through the window, she tried to ignore the feeling of doom circling her head as she laid awake in bed.

 

“Miss Evancella?” the short reporter asked, running alongside Maria. “Miss Evancella! Gavin O’Mann with the Daily Report. Can you tell us about the time you spent with the notorious Black Bloods of Bleakstag City?”

“Buzz off, Mick,” Maria grumbled bitterly, picking up her pace in hopes of losing the ever present reporter. It was always him that showed up to badger her with that stupid accent whenever something happened. Just a few more yards…

“Can you tell us about their leader?” Gavin furthered. “I understand you spent a fair amount of time with him during your stay?”

“How do you know that?” Maria snapped, stopping in her tracks to whirl around and face Gavin.

“You just told me, flower,” Gavin declared proudly. “Now, is it true-”

Scoffing, Maria stormed up to the police department’s doors, slamming them closed in Gavin’s face. Turning around with a huff, she was immediately greeted by the grim faced commissioner, an eyebrow raised in a silent question.

“You didn’t tell that little rat anything, right?” Fawkes asked in an accusatory voice.

“‘Course not,” she answered, keeping the edge out of her voice.

“Good,” he declared with a curt nod, turning with a gesture for her to follow. “You can save that for me. I’ll filter out what the press needs to know.”

As Fawkes lead Maria to his office, she began carefully picking out what she would say, Carrion’s words from earlier that night guiding her answers. But as soon as she entered the office, all her planning melted away as soon as she saw the faces waiting for them. Besides Fawkes, Officer Hilkes and an unfamiliar serious looking man were seated in the office, poor Hilkes looking very disturbed by his current situation.

Gesturing for Maria to take the seat next to the stranger, Fawkes stood behind his desk, searching for something in the drawers as he commented, “to your left is our new lieutenant Edmond Grimm, an exchange with Hallow from the next state over, and I’m sure you remember Officer Hilkes from Maws’ little stunt, Detective.”

Exchanging a glance with Hilkes on the other side of the new lieutenant, Maria nodded in response to Fawkes’ question. He looked as uncomfortable as Maria felt, if not more, practically shaking in his seat. It was obvious the young officer had yet to experience such a meeting. Wishing Maws was there to help the poor kid, Maria gave him a small nod in hopes of easing his nerves. Hilkes smiled nervously back, appreciating Maria’s gesture. Both of them were startled back in place with a sideways glare from Grimm. Retrieving a few documents from his desk, Fawkes slid them across to Grimm who took them, dispersing certain documents to the officers on either side of him.

With a nod from Grimm, Fawkes began, “you both know why you’re here. Hilkes, you went against the law itself, assisting a past offender like Maws slip under our noses. You know what you did _now_ , but I’m sure Maws made it seem like you were just following orders, so I’ll let you off with a warning. What you hold there is your record. I highly suggest you read that over and see what little is on it. Things will be added as you continue to wear that badge. Good and bad things like this little outing. Remember that. You’re dismissed.”

Nodding quickly, Hilkes hurriedly got up to leave, flashing an apologetic grin at Maria. She returned the smile, silently telling him that it’s okay, before returning her attention to the commissioner.

Waiting until the door was fully closed and Hilkes’ footsteps faded out, Fawkes sat down at his desk and leaned forward, asking, “so, what really happened during your impromptu leave of absence?”

Grimm fixing her with an expectant look, Maria hesitantly said, “it’s… Difficult to explain, Commissioner.”

“Then we’ll take it easy, baby steps,” Fawkes said. “Is it true you were held for ransom?”

“How do you people keep knowing this crap before I even say anything?” Maria asked in a mix of surprise and frustration.

“I heard it rumored, the officers whispering to each other,” Fawkes explained, writing something down on a notepad produced from a drawer in his desk. “That’s what all these questions are. Rumors and guesses. I need you to sort out what’s fact and what’s bunk.”  
As Maria hesitated to speak again, Fawkes lowered the notepad and briefly dropped the professional demeanor, much to the displeasure of Grimm, expressed by a small huff and accusatory eye twitch.

“Look, I know you’re probably not taking Maws’ dismissal well,” Fawkes said, “but you’ve gotta see it from my side. You and I both know how risky loose ends are for the department, especially now that we know the Black Bloods are planning something. They could be anywhere. Now, I’m not accusing you of following your father’s footsteps-”

“But you’ve got no problem blaming Jay for things he didn’t do,” Maria interrupted, clenching her fists in her lap.

“Pardon me?” Fawkes asked, the friendliness rapidly draining from his voice.

“You heard me,” she said. “You’ve had it in for Maws ever since Murray was outed. This was just the perfect opportunity to get rid of him, wasn’t it?”

Holding up a hand to stop Grimm, Fawkes pointed his pencil at Maria and said, “I don’t know what you think you’re trying to pull here, but I was the one that kept Maws on the job. The man in this chair before me wanted both their heads after he found out, but I’m the one that saved Maws’ ass that day. Don’t go talking to me about trying to out the old man, he was one of our best. It hurts me just as much as you to have to take his badge.”

“You…?” Maria blinked in surprise, lowering her head and clasping her hands together.

“Now, you got anymore accusations you want to fling or can we get through with this?” Maria remained quiet, and Fawkes nodded and continued, “good. First off, what can you tell me about this Carrion character? He’s the head honcho, right?”

“Yeah,” Maria said, repeating the gang leader’s words in her head once more. “He was calling the shots. Had me locked up to keep safe.”

“Do you know for what they were keeping you for?”

“For the guns they got, if I had to guess.”

“Right. The explosive ones. Great… Any idea what they’re planning to use those for?”

Maria hesitated to answer that question. She really didn’t know what they were planning, just that it was something big, but anyone could guess that much. Is that much even safe to tell him?

“In all honesty, I don’t know,” she finally said, plain and simple.

“What do you know, then?” Fawkes asked bluntly.

“Well,” she answered, carefully choosing her words. “I know that… Their base is underground somewhere? Or in some old abandoned part of the city.”

Breaking his silence and startling even the stoic Commissioner, Grimm said, “if I may, Commissioner, that all seems highly unlikely. I understand you’ve combed every part of the city and the surrounding area three times over. If they are stationed here under our very noses, you would’ve found them by now.”

“That is a fair point…” Fawkes mumbled. “What else do you got?”

“That’s about it, sir,” Maria said, fighting the urge to sink into her seat.

“Fine, fine,” Fawkes said, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. “If that’s the case, then I need you to go to the squad car garage.” As Maria’s eyes lit up, he added, “there’s a few squads waiting there. Lieutenant Grimm will inform you on your task on the way there. Grimm?”

Giving a curt nod, Grimm rose from his seat, the sudden change of height causing the somewhat short Maria to hesitate in her following. Tailing the burly man out of the office and through the halls, Maria tried to get a read on the man, but his perfectly neutral expression yielded no information.

“So…” Maria queried. “What’s up?”

“I’ll tell you when we get there,” Grimm declared.

“But Fawkes said-” Maria argued.

“I know what he said,” Grimm stated. “I don’t repeat myself.”  
Huffing, Maria followed behind the new lieutenant in begrudging silence. Entering the large industrial garage, Maria surveyed the officers there. The faces were a mix of familiar and strange, somewhat offsetting the detective. 

Clearing his throat, immediately grabbing the attention of all present, Grimm said, “Commissioner Fawkes has asked me to inform you on your duties. Under my authority, you will all be guarding a caravan as it nears the city limits. We’ll drive out to meet them in Goldsmith, two days out, starting early tomorrow morning. As this is a large caravan carrying highly valuable resources like food, clothing, and metals, we cannot afford to slip up. Who you see in this room is who you’ll be working with. I don’t care how much you might hate each other, I refuse to allow my command to be full of children. Make your peace amongst yourselves now. I will personally break up any arguments I see during the mission. Understood?” Only receiving a few nods and mumbled affirmations, Grimm repeated in a much louder voice, “am I understood?!”

The room collectively jumping at the sudden shout, the officers all replied, “yes, sir!”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Grimm said with no hint of joy on his face. “You’re all off duty for the rest of the day, but I expect you to use your time to prepare for your trip. We have a long road ahead of us.”

Each officer nodding with forced enthusiasm, they left the room to gather their things and go to their respective homes. Had nothing happened previously, Maria would be ecstatic at being put on a mission like this, but now she just couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom.


	4. IV

Driving alongside the caravan, Maria watched the countryside lazily roll past as the wagons rolled along in front of the car. For five days straight, not a single thing had happened. Not a single wheel broke, no one got sick, there wasn’t a single raid. For five days, they rode across the countryside, only stopping late at night to rest and hit the road again once the sun peeked out over the horizon. Part of her began wishing something would happen already, especially so she could get out of the same car as the ever silent Grimm. Just as she wished for the caravan to stop at least long enough for her to stretch her legs, the wagons in front of them stopped abruptly, causing Grimm to swerve to avoid them. Stopping with a jerk beside the wagon furthest at the back, both officers hurriedly climbed out of the car and rushed into the sudden fight as it broke out. Already, several wagons were blazing and wounded being rushed out of the turmoil. As Grimm shot at two of the black clad marauders, Maria searched through the fight, anger blossoming in her chest. Not just for the endangerment of so many innocent people, but also for the feeling of betrayal. Whether it was delusional or not, Maria felt as if she’d made a deal with Carrion, that there’d been a silent understanding on what would happen if they saw each other again. Spotting the treacherous bastard in the crowd, she charged at him and tackled him bodily, causing him to stagger backwards. He spun around, drawing a pistol, but hesitated when recognizing Maria. She didn’t share the sentiment as she shot him at point blank, a pool of red quickly accumulating on his shoulder.

“What the hell are you doing?!” she shouted, pulling him up and pressing the pistol to his forehead.

Expression neutral save for the grimace lacing his lips, Carrion said, “no, what are _you_ doing here?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, you rat,” she growled.

“You’re supposed to still be in the city,” he said. “You were supposed to be kept off this case and waiting for me on Baker Street.”

“Sorry ‘bout your luck,” she spat, dropping him to kick his ribs.

“Stop!” he commanded, catching her next swing and pulling her to the ground, holding her down with an arm. “You have no idea what you’re messing with.”

“Why don’t you enlighten me,” she said before biting his arm.

Cursing and strangling her with his other hand, he growled, “look, you self righteous little prig, this is bigger than me and you. This is the entire city we’re talking about. This is about legacy. About my family’s name. About _your father’s_ commitment. Now- Stop struggling or you’ll hurt yourself!”

Clawing at his wrist, Maria choked out a few curses met with more from Carrion as they fought in the dirt, both pistols quickly being knocked away from their owner by the opposite party. Several times, Maria managed to bite and kick Carrion, but he continued to come back with no signs of letting up despite the blood and bruises decorating his pale skin. Finally pinning her down again, Carrion quickly caught his breath as she fought against him.

“Get off me, freak!” Maria shouted before Carrion’s hand clamped around her mouth.

“Listen here and listen close,” he breathed, almost hissing, gray eyes igniting like coal. “You’ve got no business in this. Your job is to maintain the city and follow your father’s plan. Do you understand?! You’re not supposed to be here!”

Biting his fingers, Maria asked, “what the hell are you talking about?!”

“You really don’t know anything about your father?” Carrion asked incredulously. “Unbelievable… He was one of us. He was going to get the city back for us. He was supposed to fix everything! He was-”

“You’re lying!” she interjected, desperately trying to break free and throw a punch. “You’re full of-”

“How do you know?!” Carrion shouted, leaning more of his weight to keep her pinned down. “Maws never told you a damn thing! You don’t even know what that city was built for!” Leaning more and more onto her, fury burning in his eyes, he bellowed, “all you are is a waste of a promise! A mistake I never should of made! A disgrace to everything your father stood for!”

Heaving as she struggled to breathe, she hissed, “at least I don’t have the names of innocents stacked up in my ledger.”

Beginning to say something else, Carrion’s voice died in his throat as the fire drained from his eyes, instead a look akin to shame taking hold. Narrowing his eyes, he pushed off the ground and stood up, turning away from Maria as she pulled herself up.

Looking at the waging battle momentarily, he looked back at Maria to say, “follow me.”

Without any other explanation, he rushed off into a small wooded area, leaving Maria to follow for some reason she couldn’t explain. Leading her through the trees, Carrion finally stopped to lean against the trunk of an old tree, heaving as his injuries begin to catch up to him.

Turning around to look at Maria, he said, “tell me what you know. About the city, your father, Maws, all of it.”

Staring for a moment, she hesitantly began, “Bleakstag was built up from a small fishing village over 300 years ago. It’s remained relatively unchanged in design and layout.”

Taking a deep breath, Carrion explained, “no, Bleakstag was the last in a line of tribal chieftains. His tribe had lived in the area of that godforsaken city for thousands of years, dating back to when man moved from hunting to agriculture. He was killed when invaders attacked the tribes, his being the last to stand. As some cruel joke, they named the city they built on his people’s ashes after him. Next.”

A sinking feeling weighing down her heart, Maria continued, “my dad was an immigrant, and Maws was the first person that openly accepted him, giving him a place to stay. Dad joined the police force only a month after he arrived in the city, where he met mom, and was tried and convicted for dealing with the Black Bloods, and Jay was put on probation for a few years after he was arrested as an accomplice. He was freed when I was born since mom died just after and there was no one else to take care of me.”

“Your father,” Carrion corrected, “was a man of our people. He was our leader before he was martyred. Just like you, he denied his role until he was shown the truth. He joined the rats at the police department to turn the table in our favour. He was supposed to win this war for us. He was given the Spirit by my father for that reason. He then gave it to me when I was only 4. It was my mother who gave her life for Maws’ freedom and his title of Lieutenant. This was supposed to go very, very differently.”

“So Jay…” Feeling as if she was being pulled into the ground, Maria almost whispered, “he kept all this from me for this long…”

“You’re supposed to be the piece that fixed this puzzle,” he said, his voice lowering to a dreadful murmur like the sound of dying breath. “You were supposed to pick up where he left off. I was supposed to pick up all the pieces. I…” His eyes glistening as they grew misty, he struggled to speak, finally saying, “get out. Go back, get the caravan back to the city. Don’t come looking for me. I’ll find you.”

“You can’t just-” Maria attempted to argue.

“Go,” he said, pointing out of the woods. “You’ll see me again, just get those people help.”

Mustering all her willpower, Maria forced herself to turn away from the injured man, running back into the open and re-engaging in the last of the fight.

“Detective, where were you?!” Grimm shouted, meeting her at the edge of the fray.

“I was chasing their leader,” she snapped.

“Well, did you catch him?” he asked expectantly.

“No,” Maria said, trying to push past the behemoth.

“What are you trying to do?!” he shouted, trying to block her.

“Look, you giant mongrel!” she shouted back, barreling past him to rush towards an officer on the ground. “They’re all running! We need to get our wounded gathered up and get them back to the city ASAP!”

Grumbling bitterly, Grimm rushed towards a large group of officers, shouting, “fall back, officers, and tend to the injured! That means right now, come on!”

 

Arriving home again, Maria was mildly surprised to find Maws still awake, looking out the window with a dazed look as the sun slowly rose. It wasn’t until she dropped her gearbag next to the table did he startle out of his stupor, looking around wildly before focusing on Maria.

“Oh, thank God,” he muttered, practically falling out of his seat to run to her, ready to embrace her.

Backing away from him, Maria stared at Maws, who stopped with a confused and hurt look on his face. His face was haggard, his eyes red and puffy, but that only added a drop of guilt to the well of fury in her heart.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked quietly, her eyes trained on Maws’ face.

Immediately understanding the question, Maws said, “I don’t know what he told you, kiddo, but-”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Maria interrupted, shouting loud enough to cause Maws to flinch.

“I only meant to keep you safe,” he conceded, a sorrowful look pulling his face and truly showing the years of stress he’d been through. “You never should’ve gotten caught up in this.”

Her anger quickly disappearing, she asked, “were you apart of it?”

“No,” he answered with a hard tone. “I never helped those dirty street rats. I only ever helped Murray. I would’ve taken a grenade for that old fool, no matter how much I detested what he was doing. I knew from the beginning it’d end up somehow like this. And now I can’t do a damn thing about it.”

As fresh tears pooled up in Maws’ eyes, Maria moved to comfort him, but he walked away from her, grabbing his coat and glasses from the table before walking out the door. Taking the empty seat in his stead, Maria looked out at the rising sun, silently hoping Maws wouldn’t do anything rash.


	5. V

Waking up sometime in the afternoon, Maria got up out of bed and walked out into the kitchen area. No sign of Maws anywhere. Even his favorite coffee mix is gone from the cabinets, having been used up the night before. With a small resigned sigh, Maria returned to her room to get dressed. Looks like she’d have to go out to get coffee. Just what she wanted. Opening the apartment door, Maria absentmindedly ran a hand through her hair before locking the door behind her. She passed by the empty apartments, a heavy silence permeating through the halls. Escaping it, she walked into the large stone parking garage, greeting one of the valets stationed there.

“Mornin’, ma’am!” he called out, chipper as usual.

“Hey, Mickey,” Maria returned with a small smile. “Did you see Maws come through here?”

“No ma’am,” Mickey answered, shaking his head. “Could’ve fooled me that he was even gone, given his old 58’s still parked in the same spot as always.”

Nodding, not at all surprised, she said, “thanks anyways.”

“You want me to fetch it for ya?” he offered.

“No, today’ll be a walking day,” she said.

“Alrighty,” he said with another grin. “You be careful, then. Ain’t heard nothing about those Black Bloods too recently. Can’t be quiet for too long.”

“Thanks, Mickey,” she said, smiling again before leaving the garage and walking out onto the streets, fighting to ignore the swarm of horrible visions plaguing her mind.

 

After a couple hours of looking through windows at the items for sale, walking in, looking around, buying nothing, lather, rinse, repeat, Maria turned herself back in the direction of the apartment complex once again. She really had no idea what she was looking for, but something inexplicably lead her in that direction. Maybe she was looking for some kind of reassurance, some little sign that things would be alright. But that’s just superstition, a bunch of hocus pocus and old stories. There’s nothing to that, right?

Searching for her keys, Maria sighed when she heard the call of, “Detective! Detective!”

Turning around to find officer Hilkes running toward her, fully in uniform, she asked, “Maywood? What are you doing here? I’m off the clock today.”

“Commissioner Fawkes wants to see you,” he blurted out, hastily explaining himself. “It’s Lieutenant- It’s Maws!”

“What?” she asked. “What’s wrong with him?”

“I-” Hilkes tried to explain, stumbling over his words. “I- It’s not for me to say, I- You just have to come, okay? I’m sorry.”

Steeling her nerves, well practiced over her career, she gently but firmly rested her hand on Hilke’s shoulder, saying, “hey, hey, it’s okay. Look at me. It’s fine, okay?”

“No, you don’t understand, I-I-” Hilkes stammered, shaking his head. “We just gotta go right now!”

 

Running past Gavin waiting at the hospital this time, Maria shouted something at him as Hilkes lead her into the hospital. Completely ignoring the receptionist, they ran up some stairs and through many sets of double doors, leaving them swinging behind them. They raced through the facility, only stopping when the sight of a sullen faced Fawkes sitting in front of a curtained room greeted them around a corner.

Looking at them, he mumbled, almost too quiet to hear, “the old fool went after them. I don’t know what made him think he could… You just missed him. I’m sorry.”

The words crashing over her like waves, Maria shook her head, her mouth hanging open as she tried to formulate words. She managed a small sound of horror before rushing inside, neither Fawkes nor Hilkes stopping her. At the sound of her realization, Fawkes buried his face in his hands. The sickly white sheets stained with the stark contrast of red bandages, Maws laid in the bed, completely still. The only stirring in the room was Lieutenant Grimm sitting in a chair, his hands pressed close together in prayer. The machine behind the head of the bed confirmed her worst fear with a ceaseless shrill noise; Jay Maws was dead.

“I’m sorry,” Grimm said, resting his hands in his lap and staring at them. “He was a good man. One of the best officers I’d ever heard of. I’m so sorry this had to happen.”

Sitting in the chair besides Grimm, Maria held her head in her hands and remained silent. This couldn’t be happening, she told herself, staring at the cold hard truth in bitter denial. Even as the contradictory cry of the machine detecting no heartbeat pervaded through her every thought, she told herself this was all just one horrible dream and she’d wake up any moment, Maws no doubt sitting at the kitchen table in his rickety old bar chair as always. But as the clock ticking away turned seconds into minutes, she found herself lost in the glaring fact. In the midst of a sea of her swarming thoughts, Maria anchored herself to one very recent memory. Suddenly rising from her seat, she ran from the room, from the infirmary, from the hospital without a single explanation. They killed Maws. _He_ would have some explanation. Or else.

 

Walking down the street, the yellow light of the streetlamps glinting off the gun clenched tightly in her hand, Maria carefully watched her surroundings as they passed. He’d be somewhere around here. It’s offensive it took her this long to figure it out. They were hiding out in the old industrial factory buried under the neighboring district of the police department. This still didn’t explain how they seemed to know their every move, but she’d be getting some explanations one way or another. Spotting the rat in question leaning against a lamp post, she squared her shoulders up and marched towards him, head held high as she threw together some improvised threats and insults.

Managing to sneak up on him this time, Maria grabbed him from behind and pressed her gun against the back of his head, growling, “if you value your life and everything your little coven’s been doing, I suggest you cooperate.”

With an almost forlorn sigh, Carrion let his hands hang by his sides, gray eyes downcast like rainy autumn skies. He didn’t a say a single thing or make any move to dissuade Maria, somewhat putting her off.

“What the hell did you think you were doing?” she demanded. “Answer me!”

Almost too quietly to hear, Carrion whispered, “this wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“What are you talking about?” Maria asked, roughly shaking him.

“This wasn’t part of the plan,” he continued without explanation, “none of this should’ve happened.”

“You better start making sense, or so help me-” she shouted.

“You never should’ve gotten wrapped up in this,” he said, finally looking up at her.

Faltering at the echoed words, Maria stared at him, only further worried as she noticed the blood dripping from his cheek. Whether it was his or not was impossible to tell.

“I was only trying to fix this city,” he said, turning his stormy eyes away to stare off at nothing. Both remaining silent for a moment, he said, “follow me.”

Freeing himself and walking away, Maria not resisting at all, Carrion headed down the street with Maria beside him, the scenery gradually growing more dilapidated. It was clear they were entering the oldest part of the city, where most of the criminals, homeless, and undesirables were forced to live. They passed by countless people, each family or group of little kids stopping to look at them. An old man even stopped them to shake Carrion’s hand with a grateful smile, speaking in the same harsh guttural language. Carrion answered respectively, but made an effort to speed along the conversation. He didn’t answer Maria when she asked him what the man had said, continuing to lead her ahead until they reached a toppled over building overtaken with weeds and vines.

Stopping in front of the mess of bricks and mortar, Carrion asked, “do you understand what we’re trying to achieve?”

“What every other crime family wants,” Maria answered bitterly. “Guns, money, and power.”

Shaking his head, he said, “you couldn’t be more wrong. We want the same thing all the wealthy self entitled people want. Safety, happiness, and a life worth living. Do you know who’s kept us from all that?”

“The higher ups?” she asked.

“That’s what we thought for decades,” he said. “Part of it is them, that’s true. But part of it is also ourselves. We’re our own demise everytime. And it took this long to realize that.”

“What do you mean?” she asked with a genuine tone.

“You know, however barbarian you better off folks think we are, we’ve always had our own laws,” he said, turning to face her. “We’ve always had a code. ‘Help anyone that needs it.’ That’s how it’s always been, since the first of us got together. It seems like everyone’s forgotten this. Everyone except me.”

He lowered his head for a moment, black hair hiding his face as he retrieved a pack of cigarettes and lighter from his black trench coat. As he exhaled, they both watched the smoke billow up until it was blown away by a sudden breeze.

“Yeah,” Carrion said, almost whispering to himself now. “We used to be heroes down here. Now our own people look at us in fear. The only reason they don’t rip me apart right now, standing here without any of the boys to back me up, is because I’ve upheld that code. I’m the only saving grace we have left. And there isn’t a curse.”

“What?” Maria asked. She never believed in superstition, but the fact of the curse being a farce dumbfounded her.

“It’s just a rumor we made up ourselves some years back,” Carrion said. “A curtain to pull over the mass dog fight we’d turned into. No one was happy. Everyone wanted it his way. There were wars going on inside our ranks. So we reached an agreement. We’d abolish the old tradition of the Spirit being passed down from one leader to the next. Instead, the next leader would be the one that killed the previous. From all over the city, we’d show up here and let the rabid dogs loose on whatever poor soul thought he’d ‘won’ last time. This would be the site of the largest bloodbath in the last five years, until the next one came around. And then the next one, and the next, and the next…

“That was until your father,” he added. “He tried putting a stop to this. Tried uniting us again. My step-father had tried the same, but was assassinated for his efforts. Then your father was turned in by his own men, but not before he picked me as the next leader. That was… Seven years ago. The only reason I haven’t been killed is because I promised to take back the entire city by the end of this year. I was supposed to disable the police force so we could take the city in their place. Obviously, that’s not possible.”

“Obviously,” she agreed.

“So, I need you to turn me in,” he said plainly.

“I- What?” Maria stared blankly.

“I’ll be waiting here, just tell them to come prepared for a fight,” he answered. “It’s simple.”

“Why would you want me to do that?” she asked further.

“You want proper respect, right?” he asked. “I can’t think of a better way than taking down a mob boss.”

“You’re pulling my leg, right?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. “This is some kind of joke. You’re gonna try holding someone for ransom, aren’t you?”

His features hardening again, he said with a rather annoyed tone, “this isn’t working. Both sides refuse to see it, but this war won’t end in anything but blood and tears, if at all. If we keep going like this, pushing each other to the extremes, this entire city is going to fall. I’m putting an end to it. On my terms.”

“They’ll kill you, you idiot!” she exclaimed, pushing him backwards.

“Better me than you,” he mumbled, extinguishing his cigarette in the palm of his hand. “Tomorrow night. 12:33 AM. Be here with a squad of officers. Make sure Officer Hilkes is there so I can see his smug face.” Hesitating to go for a moment, a sad smile grew across his face as he said, “have you ever noticed that it’s only the ‘immigrants’ like you and your father that live down here?”

Leaving no time for Maria to answer or argue, Carrion threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stalked off, hands in his pockets and head held high despite the heavy silence left in his wake. A silence Maria dared not break. Turning back the way they had come, Maria shoots one last look at the weathered man before leaving. She paid no mind to the murder of crows resting on the broken telephone lines and bent street lamps, watching her as she left.


	6. VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a fair warning; things get gruesome here.

Turning her wrist over, Maria checked her watch. 12:30 AM. Three minutes to go. She couldn’t help but wonder whether this was the right thing to do. Not that she could take it back. Half the entire force was already there, though most of them were hidden in the shadows. To the untrained eye, it only looked to be Maria, Hilkes, Fawkes, Grimm, and three other officers.

“Are you sure he said here…?” Hilkes asked hesitantly.

“Positive,” Maria confirmed, not once taking her eyes off the skeletal building.

Opening his mouth to whisper something else, Hilkes silenced himself at the sight of crows flying out from the building, swooping overhead as a figure dressed solely in black stepped forth. Every officer present, hidden and otherwise, aimed their gun, yet the head gang member didn’t once flinch.

“Put your hands in the air and get on the ground!” Fawkes ordered, taking a step forward.

Completely disregarding the commissioner’s orders, Carrion gently rubbed the head of the raven perched on his shoulder before having it shift onto his hand. Holding it to face him, he whispered something to the omen before raising his arm, the raven launching itself into the air. Several of the more superstitious officers raised their guns to aim at the raven as it made its flight, including Officer Hilkes.

“You understand we’ve been in your midst this whole time, yeah?” Carrion asked plainly.

“What are you talking about?” Fawkes shouted.

“He’s standing right next to you,” Carrion said, pointing with a ringed finger.

Following the accusing finger, every set of eyes present fell on Maywood Hilkes, his dark skin reddening under the gaze.

Stammering for a moment, trying to find something to disregard the accusation, Hilkes gave up with a glare at Carrion and a harshly worded, “damn you, Romeo. You'll pay for this.”

“Rodrigo has been a mole all this time,” Carrion continued, ignoring the threats. “He's the reason we’ve known which caravans to attack. Why we’ve always been one step ahead of you.”

“Romeo Serella!” Hilkes blurted out, pointing with a finger at Carrion. “His name is Romeo Serella! He’s just a man! He’s not even one of us! Look at him! The detective girl is closer to us than he is! He-”

Silenced by a sudden bang, Hilkes fell to the ground as blood began pooling around him, the rain washing it into the street. Slowly, every pair of eyes present turned back to stare at Carrion, a smoking revolver held in his hand. Without a word, he tossed the weapon towards the officers before kneeling and placing his hands behind his head. Hesitantly looking at each other, even Grimm hesitated to pick up the willingly surrendered weapon. Flanked by the remaining three officers, Fawkes gingerly handcuffed Carrion and pulled him up to stand.

“Hope you realize now where all your ‘hero work’ got us all,” Fawkes grumbled as he lead him towards the squad car.

“I’m not a hero, sir,” Carrion said, almost with a tone of respect for the Commissioner. “Never claimed to be one. Just a man fighting for the other team.”

Huffing, Fawkes shoved Carrion into the back of the car, slamming the door behind him. Glancing at the body of the newly revealed spy laying in the street, he shook his head as he climbed into the driver’s seat, motioning for Maria to join him. In a daze, she sat next to him in the passenger’s seat, staring out blankly at the flashing lights and swarm of officers pouring from the shadows.

 

The sound of the judge’s gavel still ringing in her ears, Maria tried to tell herself it was all just as she searched for his cell. There wasn’t even a trial, just a date given for an execution. Three days from the trial, only two days now. No bail. Definitely no parole. No humanity of any kind. And yet, through all of it, Carrion never said a single world, never moved from his seat until he was escorted from the courtroom, never lifted his head as it hung. It was like a completely different person. Spotting him in his small cell, her heart crumbled some as she saw him, beaten and bloody yet sitting placidly in his cage. Walking over to the cell, she gently shook the door to grab his attention, Carrion lifting his head up just enough to hide most of his face but still look at her.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said in a painfully small voice.

“And you shouldn’t have ever made me turn you in like that,” Maria retorted. “Look what they did to you. Threw you in a pit of rabid animals.”

“The folks are innocent,” Carrion corrected. “They didn’t do this. They didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.”

“It was that big fella!” an inmate shouted from a cell. “Real big guy, muscles big as my head!”

“Walked right in here and just started wailing on him,” another voice spoke up.

“Poor man don’t deserve none of this,” another still said.

“It’s always the good ones they put down,” the first voice said, a chorus of agreement filling the cell block.

Listening to the inmates’ praise of Carrion, talking about him in such reverence that he could be mistaken for a saint, Maria looked at him and asked, “why’d you do it? All these people look up to like you’re some kind of new age Christ, and you throw it all away. For what?”

“Horrible things are usually done for the best of reasons,” he said simply.

“No,” Maria ordered, shaking the door again. “You’re not giving me that crap. I want a straight answer, dammit. Why’d you throw all of it away?”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I just wanted to make everything right again.” With a heartbreaking chuckle, he said, “I’m only 24. What do I know? How can I fix this? I didn’t even ask to be part of this. Look at me! Rodrigo was right. I was just picked up off the street.” Lifting his head up fully to look at her, the left side of his head drenched in red around a gaping hole where his eye once was, he whispered with a cracking voice, “I just can’t put them through this.”

“Oh, god, your eye!” Maria shouted in horror, reaching for him through the bars. “You’re hurt bad.”

“I’ve been hurting for a while,” he said. “A long, long time.”

Hesitating, feeling like a young boy again, he moved himself closer to let Maria hold his hand, looking at her with a very clear message in his one remaining eye.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t put _you_ through this,” he said. “I had to do this. For them and, more importantly, you. I’m sorry, but I… I love you. I can’t help it.”

Surprised, Maria is rendered further speechless when obvious tears trace their way down through the blood staining his cheek. He really wasn’t anything more than a man, a boy even, caught up in something he could never change.

“Please,” he whispered, squeezing her hand. “You can’t tell anyone about any of this. Promise me this won’t hold you back.”

“I can’t just forget you,” Maria whispered back, still holding her own tears in.

“Promise me you’ll find someone who can treat you right and treat you well,” he furthered. “Someone a thousand times better than me. Please.”

Knowing she’d break down if she said anything, Maria only nodded in reply. Pushing himself up off the cold stone floor, Carrion placed a gentle kiss on Maria’s hand before letting her go, returning to the exact same position he’d been in before.

 

It was cold the day of the public execution. People from all over the city gathered around the makeshift shooting range just outside of the city limits, pressing up against the metal dividers. Already, several people had to be detained for trying to jump the dividers before they even brought him out. Maria even recognized a few Black Bloods in the throngs, blatantly shouting and cursing at the officers standing guard. When they finally did bring the bloodied prisoner out, however, the entire crowd fell silent. Pushing him to the ground onto his knees, the head guard shouted out into the crowd as the soldiers lined up with their weapons in hand. His words only flew past Maria, not a single word reaching her ears as she looked on at Carrion. The warning sound of guns being loaded and readied was the only time that he raised his head again. With almost uncanny precision, he picked out Maria in the crowd and gave her a sad smile before he was blown away. 

Under the cover of the horrid sound ringing out through the air, Maria whispered, “I love you, too.”

A hand on her shoulder causing her to turn around, Maria met the face of Gavin O’Mann, and for once she wasn’t annoyed. He didn’t need to speak to tell her he knew what happened, instead holding her close as the tears poured down her face. A small whispered apology is the only word spoken between the two, even amongst the chaos of several riots breaking out. Guns were drawn, shots were fired, bodies fell around them as they helped each other flee from the firefight. Neither one looked back, but bodies fell in front of them and one could only assume how many were behind them. From the white sky, crows descended like ash over the battlefield, feasting upon the bodies with no regard for the violence around them. With one last look at the birds landing around his body, Maria rounded the corner and everything fell out of view.


	7. Epilogue

As black boots mounted the fire escape, making no sound except for the snow crunching underneath, a black cloak billowed out behind the man. Stopping outside of the window, a gloved hand wipes away the frost on the window for one steely eye to stare inside. It took a moment, but he managed to make out her form in the darkness, even recognizing the Irishman asleep in a chair by the bed. Good. Carefully opening the window without alerting either of them, a black gloved hand places two objects on the windowsill inside before closing the window again. Turning away, he leapt from the fire escape, black cloak billowing out like the wings of a crow.

 

In the morning, woken up by a crow cawing incessantly at her window, Maria quietly got up to shoo the bird away. Resting her hands on the windowsill, her skin brushed against something soft there. Picking it up, she ran her fingers over the black feather as she read the note underneath it. _“I think the most important part of life isn’t that it goes on, but that it ends. Nothing would matter if there weren’t a deadline.”_ Smiling sadly, she tucked the two objects into the drawer of her table before laying back in the bed.

 

Arriving at the department later that day, Gavin accompanying her to the door with words of comfort, Maria slowly entered the building. An incredible silence echoes through the halls until she was greeted by Fawkes. He informed her that all presence of the Black Bloods had disappeared, whether they were all killed somehow or they left during the night wasn’t clear. Even still, the police remained wary, but Maria shook her head at this last part. It was obvious they were leaving and never coming back. Ultimately, he’d done it. He’d fixed everything. Just not how he originally intended. With a sigh, Maria readied herself to meet the crowd outside come noon, heralding her as a hero while she felt nothing of the sort.


End file.
